Church Burned

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone- whether they are a member of the church or a member of the community- say, “I watched the church burn.” It is usually said with teary eyes and a feeling of immovable sadness. This is one of the scars that was left on the firewall after it was all said and done. To me, it looks like a flame. And every time I see it, it reminds me of these comments and what it must have felt like to watch something you have come to know and love so deeply succumb to fire. When Jesus rose from the grave, he rose with scars in his hands. When he appears again to his disciples he shows them his hands and his side- no longer open, gaping wounds but a scar of new flesh that now bears the marks of his death, and of his resurrection. It’s part of who he is now. Fire will always be a part of our history, but it is only a page in the book. There may always be a scar, like the one that looks like a flame, but I can’t wait to see what God does on the other side of this resurrection - to watch the look in those same eyes as we rededicate this sanctuary on Easter, the day of Resurrection.

Pastor Lindsay